Audi is building an electric SUV to take on Tesla — and it just became available for pre-order

Newspress
Tesla's Model S and Model X are soon going to have some serious competition.

In September 2015, Audi revealed its all-electric e-tron quattro concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The SUV, which is slated to come to market by 2018, will have three electric motors, a range of about 300 miles on a single charge, and quick charging capabilities.

Like the e-tron concept, Audi will most likely include piloted driving technology in its upcoming all-electric SUV.

Audi piloted tech
YouTube/Audi

The e-tron quattro concept has piloted driving technology, which uses radar sensors, a video camera, ultrasonic sensors, and a laser scanner to collect data about the car's environment and create a model of the vehicle's surroundings in real-time.

Audi currently has a lot of this tech in its newer vehicles, so it's likely we will see a more advanced piloted system in the production version of the e-tron quattro.

2/

Cameras could replace side view mirrors.

Audi

The e-tron quattro has curved displays built into the front section of the doors that lets the driver view what is around them. There's no guarantee we'll see this in the production version, but automakers are beginning to experiment with new kinds of mirror designs.

It will likely be covered in screens.

Audi

The e-tron quattro concept features two touch displays in the cockpit, one to the driver's left to control lights and the piloted driving systems and one to the right where media and navigation is controlled.

The center console has two more OLED displays for climate control and infotainment.

4/

With its 95 kWh battery, the e-tron quattro has an impressive range of 310 miles on a single charge.

Reuters/Mike Blake

To put that into perspective, Tesla's Model X SUV with all wheel drive and a 100 kWh battery has a range of 289 miles on a single charge.

While Audi has said that the e-tron quattro will have a range of 310 miles when fully charged, however, it's likely that its EPA estimated range will be closer to 280 miles per charge.

5/

It may be able to fully charge in just 50 minutes.

Audi

We know the production version will have quick charging capabilities, but we don't know exactly how fast it will work. However, we're hoping it's in line with the e-tron quattro concept's charge time.

The concept car has a Combined Charging System (CCS), meaning it can be charged with a DC or AC electrical current. It can fully charge with a DC current outputting 150 kW in just about 50 minutes.

6/

The e-tron quattro concept is equipped with induction charging technology, so it can be charged wirelessly over a charging plate.

Audi

We can't say if this is a definite feature the production version will have, but our fingers are crossed.

7/

It will have super fast connectivity.

Audi

Audi announced at CES 2016 that its cars would support the latest standard for mobile communications: LTE Advanced.

LTE Advanced is the latest enhancement to LTE, meaning that it can deliver larger and faster wireless data payloads than 4G LTE. It's likely we will see this technology integrated into the upcoming production version of the e-tron quattro.

8/

The production version of the e-tron quattro will be able to go from 0 to 62 mph in just 4.6 seconds.

Newspress

In comparison, Tesla's Model X P100D can go from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.9 seconds.